Branding: The secret to growing 'Made-in-Rwanda'

 

Many people can easily associate Nakumatt with an elephant; that's the strength of a brand and branding. (Timothy Kisambira)

Matsiko Mahunga

“...mu cyongereza, inzovu yitwa Nakumatt…,” remarked Jacques as we talked about elephants on entering Akagera National Park a few weeks back. Jacques’ innocence reveals the potence and power of branding. That Jacques sees ‘Nakumatt’ in every image of an elephant means that the brand has reached the pinnacle of unprompted recognition and association. Writing in The New Times a few weeks back, Junior Sabena Mutabazi raised the key issue of packaging in promoting Rwandan products.
This is another great factor in the ‘Made in Rwanda’ effort that ...
needs further debating. Packaging is an element of branding, and we need to dig deeper into the value they hold in promoting local products and the country in general. Branding, in simple terms, refers to the symbol or name (usually both) that differentiate one product from another. Branding has become so critical in this era of differentiation to the level that even products that would ordinarily be categorised as commodities have distinct brand names. To appreciate this, randomly sample any 10 kiosks, and walk in asking to buy ‘water’. In nine out of the 10 kiosks, the seller will ask which brand of water you want. Yet it is only yesterday that water was not even a commercial good, let alone being a commodity.
Thanks to her relatively higher level of industrialisation, regionally Kenya takes the lead in brand development, with other East African Community (EAC) partner economies playing catch-up. Most Kenyan products are branded according to the standard method of either association-branding (branding after prominent features, such as Kilimanjaro, Victoria), or neutral brand names. Neutrality here means that the brand name has no specific meaning, but is catchy enough to attract attention and easy to memorise and recognise.
This practice is common with established multinationals and big corporates. With the advent of the ‘small entrepreneur,’ branding is taking all forms and names, largely driven by emotions of one’s faith, culture, aspirations, personal history, et al. It not uncommon to find a product branded Hosanna, Hallelujah, Good Shepherd or other names along those lines. One quality peanut butter in Kigali is branded thus.
In Uganda, brands with such messages as ‘I was once despised’; ‘We came from far’; ‘They will know me’…and similar ones. The dot.com entrepreneur with is also taking root with the ‘short-hand’ approach: 2T, 3B, Cax, Nix, Rez, et al.
Besides the brand name, brand logos (which together with brand names become trademarks when patented) are another element of branding that is taking a heavy beating. And this cuts across, affecting even government institiututions and agencies. The culprit here is the ease of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
A brand logo carries a message that the owner wants to communicate to the target publics. The message is normally briefed to an artist, who then draws images to communicate the message, with the brand owner choosing the best. Enter ICT, and virtually everybody can now do their own logo. Some do succeed to create good logos, but the majority falls into the ‘short-hand’ category. Ease of colour printing has also taken its own toll, where restaurant names, for example, are now accompanied with a cacophony of the menu of foods served in the restaurant.
Branding and appellation in international trade
At international level, branding serves the purpose of product-origin and appellation. We all are familiar with this thing called champagne, yet not every sparkling wine is Champagne. Only sparkling wine produced from the Champagne region of France, produced according to the established rules and regulations of appellation, qualifies to be referred to as Champagne. Nor is every fish roe (fish eggs) called Caviar.
Genuine caviar recognised by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and other international bodies refers to the roe produced from only four documented species of fish points to the importance of commodity profiling, branding, patenting and positioning. Countries that have taken initiatives to profile their unique products are reaping high revenue from these products on world markets.
Rwanda is among the few countries with unique ecological characteristics that can enable the production and positioning of commodities such as coffee, tea, or honey to attain specific world-recognised status as uniquely Rwandan products and brands.
Documented evidence shows that Rwandan tea and coffee have the unique characteristics that render them potential raw materials for producing specialty coffee and tea. Ikawa ya Maraba, Gisovu Tea testify to this. The little effort that there is in this domain is the initiative by the Fairtrade movement, championed by such companies as Cafédirect and Teadirect.
The potential is enormous, but requires concerted effort and discipline from all stakeholders. A few years back, we interviewed tea farmers in Uganda who wanted to enjoy the premium price paid for their specialty tea, but dreaded the discipline of the entire process. Good things come at a price.
The author is a partner at Peers Consult Kampala and CET Consulting, Kigali.
bukanga@yahoo.com

DK. KIGWANGALLA AAGIZA KUFUNGWA CHUMBA CHA UPASUAJI CHA HOSPITALI YA SANITAS YA MIKOCHENI

UNCDF YAWAKUTANISHA WATAALAMU WA FEDHA NA UCHUMI DUNIANI KUJADILI MATUMIZI NA VYANZO VYA MAPATO YA SERIKALI ZA MITAA BARANI AFRIKA

Mkurugenzi wa Maendeleo ya Fedha wa Umoja wa Mataifa (UNDCF), David Jackson, (kulia), akiwa kwennye mahojiano na Mjumbe kutoka nchini Uganda, Naibu Mkurugenzi wa usimamizi wa mikakati na maendeleo ya biashara wa jiji la Kampala, Patrick Musoke, pembezoni mwa mkutano wa siku mbili wa wataalamu wa fedha na wadau wa maendeleo 62 kutoka nchi mbalimbali Duniani, kwenye hoteli ya Hyatt Regency, Kilimanjaro jijini Dar es Salaam, Februari 29, 2016. (Picha zote na K-VIS MEDIA/Khalfan Said)

Washiriki wa mkutano wa kimataifa wa siku mbili wa wataalamu wa masuala ya fedha na wadau wa maendeleo wakifuatilia mada ikliyorushwa kwa njia ya video na Profesa Paul Smoke kutoka Chuo Kikuu Cha New York, nchini Marekani.

Mshauri wa masuala ya fedha, Jesper Steffensen, akitoa mada kwenye mkutano huo

Mkurugenzi wa Maendeleo ya Fedha wa Umoja wa Mataifa (UNDCF), David Jackson, (kulia), akizungumza kwenye mkutano wa siku mbili wa wataalamu wa fedha na wadau wa maendeleo 62 kutoka nchi mbalimbali Duniani, kwenye hoteli ya Hyaatt Regency, Kilimanjaro jijini Dar es Salaam, Februari 29, 2016. Kushoto ni Kaimu Katibu Mkuu, Wizara ya Serikali za Mitaa nchini Uganda, John Genda Walala

Kaimu Katibu Mkuu, Wizara ya Serikali za Mitaa nchini Uganda, John Genda Walala, akiongoza mkutano wakati wa asubuhi

Mchumi, John Boex, akitoa mada kwenye ufunguzi wa mkutano huo wa siku mbili ulioanza Februari 29, 2016

Mshauri wa kujitegemea kutoka nchini India, Rajivan Krishnaswami, akitoa mada

Mtoa Mada, Suzane Ngane kutoka Cameroun,  akitoa mada kwenye mkutano huo

Baadhi yawashiriki wa mkutano

Baadhi yawashiriki wa mkutano

Katibu Mkuu wa Chama Cha Serikali za Mitaa Tanzania (ALAT), Habraham Shemumoyo, akifuatilia kwa makini mkutano huo

Naibu Mkurugenzi Mtendaji Benki ya TIB, Jaffer Machano, akitoa mada kwenye mkutano wa siku mbili wa Wataalamu wa fedha na wadau wa maendeleo 62 kutoka nchi mbalimbali Duniani, kwenye hoteli ya Hyaatt Regency, Kilimanjaro jijini Dar es Salaam, Februari 29, 2016.

Wajumbe wakibadilishana mawazo

Mkurugenzi wa Maendeleo ya Fedha wa Umoja wa Mataifa (UNDCF), David Jackson, (kushoto), akijadiliana jambo na Mshauri wa kiufundi wa shirika hilo(mpango wa (LFI), hapa nchini, Peter Malika.

 Maria Natinde Mukasa, Meneja wa mpango wa fedha wizara ya serikali za mitaa nchini Uganda

 Celia Cumbe, kutoka Msumbiji

 Khady Dia Sarr, Mkurugenzi wa mpango wa fedha wa jiji la Dakar, nchini Senegal

Enock Bwatete, Meneja wa fedha na utawala wa chama cha serikali za mitaa Rwanda, (RALGA), akizungumzia uzoefu wa nchi yake katika masuala ya fedha kwa manispaa na miji

 

 

 

 

 

MKUU WA MKOA WA DAR ES ASALAAM, SAID MECKY SADICK AZINDUA DUKA LA HUAWEI JIJINI DAR ES SALAAM

 Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Dar es salaam Saidi Meck Sadiki akizungumza na waandishi wa habari juu ya ufunguzi wa duka la simu za mkononi na huduma za matengenezo ya simu Samora jijini Dar es Salaam. Wananchi wametakiwa kutumia simu orijio ili kuepuka usumbufu utakojitokeza kwa kuzimwa kwa simu feki ifikapo June mwaka huu. 

Akizungumza jijini Dar es Salaam wakati wa uzindizi wa duka jipya la kampuni ya huwawei mkuu wa mkoa bwana said Meck sadiki amesema kuwa zoezi la uzimaji wa simu hizo uzimaji huo haujaanzia hapa nchini bali limefanyika katika nchi nyingi zilizoendelea.

Aidha Meck Sadick amesema kuwa ni wakati sasa wa makampuni ya simu kuakikisha yanatengeneza simu imara na kuwa na mafundi wa uhakika ili kupunguza usumbufu unaojitokeza kwa wateja wao.

 Meneja Huawei nchini Tanzania Peter Zhangjunliang, akizungumza na wandishi wa habari hawapo picha juu ya mbinu zilizotumika na kampuni ya  Huawei, ambapo wanajitahidi  kuwa Karibu zaidi na wateja wake na kuendeleza zaidi uzoefu katika matumizi ya bidhaa za Huawei